Palm to Palm is Holy Palmers' Kiss
by GAvillain
Summary: Finals week is creeping up at Auradon Prep, and Ben and Carlos have agreed to help one another study. Carlos might be a whiz kid with technology, but he's going to need all the help he can get from Ben to solve the trickiest problem yet: understanding William Shakespeare. A short Ben/Carlos oneshot. The title comes from a line in Romeo and Juliet.


Carlos flopped down across the couch in Ben's dorm room. The freckled son of Cruella De Vil sprawled out all over the sofa in an almost puppy-like manner. Dude, the campus mutt who had take a shine to Carlos, immediately followed suit alongside his new favorite person.

"Oh man, Jay and I have got to get us one of these for our room," Carlos said.

This elicited a laugh from Ben. Despite being the king of Auradon now, Ben still insisted on living on campus in his dorm just like every other student at Auradon prep. His roommate, Aziz, was the son of Aladdin and Jasmine, and, taking after his rebellious parents, was rarely ever in the room. As a result, Ben pretty much had the dorm all to himself most of the time.

Finals week was approaching at Auradon Prep, and the two young men had agreed to tutor one another. Carlos agreed to tutor Ben in Dr. Doppler's physics class in exchange for Ben helping him out with Mrs. Darling's Auradon Literature class. Carlos had always had a fondness for math and especially science in school, even back on the Isle of the Lost. Ben, on the other hand, was the son of Belle, and, as such, was pretty much the poster child for book worms. The two complemented each other's weak areas nicely.

"So you wanna start with physics or lit?" Ben asked.

Carlos groaned as he turned onto his side to face Ben. "I really don't want to think about books right now... But if I put it off I'll have to deal with it later... Let's get lit over with first."

"Sounds great!" Ben smiled, pulling his lit binder from his backpack. "So, okay, before we start, can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah," Carlos said as he hopped up from the sofa and walked over to the table in the center of the room. "What's up?"

"I just...," Ben couldn't quite find the right way to phrase it. "Is Mal... is she, y'know, doing okay?"

Things between Ben and Mal had gotten to be pretty strained over the past few weeks with Ben becoming the king of Auradon and continued adjustment stress for both of them. Ultimately they both felt it was better if they took a break and saw other people. They'd agreed to remain friends, though the post break up awkwardness was still hanging between them, and they hadn't spent much time together since.

"She's... well, she's Mal," Carlos answered. "She wouldn't really show it even if she wasn't doing okay. But honestly I think she's fine. She and Zephyr have been spending a lot of time together lately. So that's cool, I guess."

"Oh! Yeah, that's.. that's great!" Ben said, looking down and fidgeting with his papers. "I'm happy for her. I'm glad she's doing good."

Looking for an excuse to change the subject, Ben added on, "So you and Jane seemed to hit it off pretty well at the Coronation party. Are you and her...?"

"Huh? No! Uh, no," Carlos replied. "She's, uh, she's really nice, but she's not really my type, if you know what I mean."

Ben nodded in understanding. "So what is your type, Carlos?"

"Y'know, I really need help with Auradon lit," Carlos said quickly to change the subject. "I just do not get Shakespeare at all, and that final is gonna kick my butt."

"Oh yeah, of course," Ben said. He knew that Carlos was dodging, but he didn't want to pressure Carlos if he didn't feel like sharing. "Okay, so, the thing about Shakespeare is that even though the Elizabethan English sounds completely foreign, the themes and emotions of the play are all still super relevant."

"So how do you understand this stuff?" Carlos asked. "I mean, it's written in Old English so-"

"Actually it's Early Modern English. Old English is almost completely unrecognizable to what we speak today."

"Right... But, like, in Act 1 scene 5, I get that Romeo and Juliet kiss, but I have no idea why they kiss or what they're saying before that."

"Well, they're flirting with one another. It's sort of a pre-kiss banter type thing. Here, Shakespeare was meant to be performed, not read silently. Maybe acting it out will help. I'll read for Romeo, you read for Juliet."

"... You serious?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun," Ben said, hopping to his feet.

"Okay...," Carlos conceded as he stood as well.

Ben took Carlos's hand into his own. Carlos's hands were already tiny, but they looked positively petite when wrapped in Ben's large palm which echoed his father's beast-like paws. The smooth sensation of skin against skin brought a pleasant feeling to the two boys and despite the uncertainty both had at the physical touch, neither wanted to pull his hand away.

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand," Ben recited, "This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much," Carlos read, glancing at Ben's hand as he delivered the line, "Which mannerly devotion shows in this, For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take."

The two locked eyes and stared into one another for a few moments. It was the first time either had really fully taken in the sight of the other. Carlos's deep mahogany eyes met Ben's radiant emerald ones. The two both laughed awkwardly.

"So, uh, that's where they kiss," Ben said, breaking the silence, "But I'm... I'm not gonna kiss you because that'd be a bit much."

"Aww, why not?" Carlos teased.

"You serious?" Ben asked, a twinge of eagerness in his voice.

"No, no, I'm, I'm just joking," Carlos quickly covered up.

"Oh okay," Ben said. "It's just if you weren't, I mean, we could."

"Well it would be for educational purposes," Carlos shrugged.

"Right!" Ben nodded. "All part of the play."

"Yeah!"

"Yeah! Okay, I'll cue it up again. Ahem. Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take."

Ben leaned down to meet the lips of his shorter companion. As their lips came together, Carlos wrapped his arms around Ben's waist. Ben rested one hand on the small of Carlos's back and the other on the side of his companion's face. The two young men held the kiss for several seconds; Ben could distinctly taste chocolate on Carlos's breath. As the two pulled apart, they flashed one another a smile.

"Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged," Ben said.

"Really? Still going?" Carlos laughed. "Alright. Then have my lips the sin that they have took."

"Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again."

This time Carlos took the initiative. He had to stand on his tiptoes to meet the young king's lips. The two felt pure ecstasy at the return of the connection. Maybe it was the emotions of the play getting the best of them, or maybe there was always some spark that they were destined to find. Either way, both young men knew that what they felt was something very special.

"Well," Carlos said after they pulled away once again. "I think I get Shakespeare now."


End file.
